Top US admiral in Beirut to discuss US-backed deal with Israel

CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper met with Lebanon’s president and army commander on Monday to discuss the recent framework agreement between the US, Lebanon, and Israel.

President Joseph Aoun told Adm. Brad Cooper that he was committed to extending the state’s authority across the country and the full deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) up to the border with Israel.

Cooper also met with the LAF commander to discuss enhanced cooperation and the importance of “successfully implementing the security annex mechanism” under the Washington agreement, according to a LAF statement.

CENTCOM later published a statement on X about Cooper’s trip, which also included a stop in Israel.

“While in Lebanon, Cooper and his staff met with President Joseph Aoun and Lebanese Armed Forces Commanding General Rodolphe Haykal. The leaders discussed the path forward in implementing a historic framework agreement signed in Washington, DC, on Friday,” CENTCOM said.

In Israel, the top US admiral visited US troops deployed there.

Separately, the US Embassy in Beirut released a statement about Cooper’s meetings with Aoun and Gen. Rudolphe Haykal. “They discussed the path forward and the official launching of the framework’s implementation, looking to build on the momentum generated by this agreement quickly and tangibly,” the Embassy said.

The US Embassy added that the Washington agreement establishes a “clear process to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty and disarm Hezbollah.”